Throwing a Tea Party

First step: throw out any notion that a tea party must include a) only women; b) the wearing of dresses (and gloves and hats); c) flowered teapots and china cups. The only must-haves for a tea party are a) good tea; b) good things to eat and c) good company. And because it’s a party, a little more care, effort and thought given to table settings, dishes, etc.

That said, here are some basic ingredients and steps.

1.DECIDE IF YOUR PARTY WILL HAVE A THEME. That would dictate the kind of tea service, tea, and food you want to serve. For instance, if you decide that you want to throw a Victorian or English-style formal tea, then you’ll want a complete tea service (pot, creamer, sugar bowl) and assortment of teacups—all preferably bone china and flowered. You’ll want to serve great black teas (preferably scented like Earl Grey or Rose), along with tea sandwiches, cookies, scones, and the like. If you’re going for an Asian theme, such as Japanese or Chinese, then your tea set would more likely include a clay pot, with small cups, the tea would likely be greens or oolongs (although certain blacks would be appropriate), with sweet and savory snacks, possibly dim sum and almond cookies, or mochi, wasabi peas and sweet bean cakes. If your theme is Russian, then you might choose smoky teas like Lapsang Souchong and offer preserved cherries and chocolate. Indian? Consider chai, or straight Darjeeling, along with samosas.

2.SERVING AND SEATING: Set up a table for serving the tea, and another with food and plates, if you’d like guests to mingle about. Otherwise, set up a sitting area with a table for both serving and eating. (Don’t worry if you don’t have enough chairs; big floor cushions around a coffee table works well, too.)

3.TEA SET: Use your nicest tea set, if you have one, with matching cups. Or, your nicest teapot and best selection of cups-and-saucers or Asian-style handle-less cups, along with teaspoons. (A party is not the time for everyday mugs, unless that’s all you have.) Arrange everything neatly on one end of the serving table. Provide a sweetener (sugar cubes lend a particularly special touch, as does a honey pot with spoon), lemon slices, milk (or milk substitute). It’s good to have a pitcher of hot water to dilute the tea. If you’re serving more than one kind of tea, then you’ll need a service for that as well.

4.TEA: Use loose leaf, not bags. Although serving a single kind of tea makes things very easy, your guests might welcome being offered a choice between caffeinated (black, oolong, green) and herbal. Or, a choice between black and green teas. (Tip: 80% of the caffeine in tea can be removed with a simple steeping for 45-60 seconds ONLY. Discard the liquid but keep the leaves, and then pour fresh boiling water over them. From there, steep as usual.)

5.FOOD: Place your ‘treats’ –whether sweet or savory—on platters and cake stands in the middle of the table.

6.TABLE SETTINGS: Plates, napkins and utensils can be arranged either at peoples’ places, if you will serve and eat at the same table, or by the food. Here again, use your ‘best’ of everything in terms of dishes and utensils. Try to use cloth napkins, if possible.

7.SERVING: The host/hostess does the pouring and serving. Ask guests for their preferences – sugar, lemon, milk – and prepare tea accordingly. Add sugar before lemon because the acid in the lemon will prevent the sugar from dissolving. If you’re including a second tea service, ask one of your guests whether he or she will pour that one. Invite guests to help themselves with the food. Replenish as necessary.

8.ENJOY YOURSELF! It’s a party. Keep the tea fresh and hot and the food plentiful. The heart of the party—the guests—will flow from there.